


A Home For My Heart

by Wishopenastar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 19:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17873198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishopenastar/pseuds/Wishopenastar
Summary: Draco has a bad day. Also slow dancing. And speeches.***





	A Home For My Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DeyaAmaya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeyaAmaya/gifts).



> This is a present for  
> [ @DeyaAmaya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeyaAmaya/pseuds/DeyaAmaya)  
> Happy Birthday! Thank you to [@CasTheButler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasTheButler/pseuds/CasTheButler) for the beta.  
> I hope you like it  
> The song is Christina Perri's A Thousand Years.

A Home For My Heart.

It had been a good evening. Draco had almost worked up the courage to ask Harry to dance with him in the ball when Jerome Smith waylaid him.

Draco had not talked to Jerome since his trial and even the memory of that interaction left a bad taste in his mouth. Jerome was a radical. He believed that Draco should be rotting in Azkaban and if not that than he should at least be a miserable sod. No matter that Draco was working on making amends, no matter that he had opened several charities for children many of whom he personally managed.

“Malfoy.”

Draco would have to play at being nice.

“Good evening Mr. Smith, it's been a long time.”

“I hear you are working on another  _ charity _ .” His inflection on the word suggested his disdain for it.  _ I wonder what he will say when he hears the golden boy is working with me. _ “Yes. I am. The details will actually be announced later today.”

“Hmm. You do realise that no one is being taken in by this?”

“By what?”

“Your opening new schemes. The people you're  _ helping  _ are the same ones whom you caused to be like this in the first place.”

_ I was a child.  _ Draco wanted to say. _ I didn't know any better. I'm trying to be better. _

He didn't. 

“I'm sure, I'm sorry.” He said lightly and left. Smith’s words still rankled in his mind but he put them away for now.

The dancing had stopped by the time he found Harry talking with Hermione and Weasley his back was towards Draco. “Hullo Malfoy.” Ronald raised his glass towards Draco. They had become friends of sorts after Draco and Harry had started working on their orphanage idea and nights out with his and Potter’s friends became a common occurrence.

Harry turned towards him and smiled the smile which always made him weak.

“Hey.”

His mood became slightly better at that.

***

The Head of the Department of International Relations finished his speech, “And now I give the podium to Mr. Malfoy to talk about ‘Finding Homes’ the orphanage that he will be opening with none other than Harry Potter himself.”

Harry mouthed him good luck as he stood. There were polite claps as he ascended the stage but there were a lot of whispers. Maybe it was the encounter with Jerome earlier, but he thought that the whispers were hostile. 

He started his speech.

“Growing up I had a home. I know that it wasn't the most liberal place, but it was my safe place. Where nothing ever went wrong. Then I became 16 and Voldemort came. The Manor became a place I was terrified of. Home became a house. Then it became a bad memory.”

“ I couldn't go there without all the guilt tearing me apart. Then I talked with Harry.” He caught Harry's eyes. 

“For him there had been no place like home till he came to Hogwarts and found friends. The war ravaged both, Hogwarts and my Manor. But if there is something I've learnt from all the rebuilding we did it's that things get better even when all seems to be ruined.

I found friends and he a home. And I know that a lot of people, including me, lost both especially the children. I'd like to offer my home and my services to those children. Finding Homes will not only be an orphanage it'll be a place where I and Harry both try our best to gsilverll that the war took from so many children. We'll no be able to fill the loss completely. No one will. But we'll try.”

He felt like a blubbering mess in front of so many people. He could feel the tears prickling his eyes. He hadn't meant to say so much. 

“Thank you.” He left the stage.There was clapping but he didn't hear it, the blood pounding in his ears drowned it.

***

_ Draco darling. His mother called out to him. Draco was in his childhood bed. His mother was in the doorway. He followed her. The house was dark and cold. Colder. “Where is father?” He asked. His mother didn't reply. They walked on. She brought him to the table. The dark lord was sitting there. His father beside him. The snake crawled on Draco’s feet. “You must be marked.” “No.” There was a flash of green light. Except Draco didn't fall, his mother did. Collateral damage. _

**

It was early morning when Draco woke up. Sweat running on his body. He had another nightmare. He blinked to get Narcissa’s face out of his mind. It didn't work.  _ Great. _ He was going to see this in his mind the entire day. The day was busy. There were meetings. Meetings with the Child Welfare Ministry and with the donors. Harry was there and his presence was nice but Draco still felt off. Wrong. Seeing Voldemort’s face was always scary and this dream had been more vivid than his usual ones. Besides last night still lingered in his mind.  _ No one is fooled. _ He was snappish.

**

“I believe that is all Potter.” They were finally done. Draco wanted to go home and get some sleep. He would talk to Harry when he was much more agreeable. Or else he'd end up saying something he’d regret.

“Thank God. Did you decide then?”

“What?”

“The hotel that we'll be going to tonight.”

_ Shit.  _ He remembered now. They had made plans.

“I..uh—”

“If you don't feel up to it that's fine. We'll go later.” Harry tried to hide it but Draco heard the disappointment. 

“I just–can we back go to my place instead  or yours?” They had done that before getting takeout together. 

“Sure. Curry and naan at mine?”

“Sounds great.”

They apparated back to Harry's flat. It was a comfortable place stuffed full of knick knacks which his friends gave him amd quilts which Molly Weasley made it was homey.They had a routine.

They ate in silence. Draco was grateful for it. Harry was always attuned to his need for silence or talk. 

They finish and Harry washes the dishes while he puts the leftovers in tupperware containers. It's domestic and familiar. 

“I should be going.”

“Would you like to stay for some time? We could talk?”  Harry sounded nervous. As if Draco would refuse. 

“I'd love to.”

They sat on the couch sharing a quilt. Domestic. They didn't talk. Just sat there. “What's bothering you?” Harry finally asked him.

“It's nothing much. Just something Smith said last night. And a nightmare.” Harry knew about the nightmares they both had them. 

“Smith’s an arse. Would you like to speak about what he said?”

“He just said something about how it was wrong of me to try and solve things by money and that everyone thinks that all I'm doing is a sham.”

“Draco–”

“I know that it is not true. And that he's a prejudiced moron and what not. I know that. But it still annoys me, you know?”

“He's a blind bat if he doesn't see how hard you're working. I met Mrs. Adams after you left yesterday. She told me to tell you that she's proud of you.”

Mrs. Adams was a woman they both looked up to. After the war she had been one of the women who spearheaded the rehabilitation efforts and the person who convinced Draco to go to therapy. Her appraisal meant a lot. He smiled.

“We're all proud of you.” Harry added.

After that they talked about odds and ends they gossiped about who came with who in the ball.Draco remembered something.

“You know I wanted to ask you to dance?”

Harry flushed.

“You did?”

“Yes. I missed my chance though.”

“We can dance now.” Harry stood up taking Draco’s hands in his. 

He tuned the radio on the mantle. Muggle music played. Draco didn't recognise the song but Harry did. 

They danced or more appropriately they swayed together. Oblivious to everything else. Harry's eyes held Draco's. It was everything he had dreamt of and more.

 

_ I will be brave _ __  
_ I will not let anything take away _ __  
_ What's standing in front of me _ __  
_ Every breath _ _  
_ __ Every hour has come to this.

 

When they kissed for the first time it felt right. No fireworks. No sparks. No butterflies. Just two people. Dancing alone together.

 

_ And all along I believed I would find you _ __  
_ Time has brought your heart to me _ __  
_ I have loved you for a thousand years _ _  
_ __ I'll love you for a thousand more.

 


End file.
